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Friday, August 11, 2017

Perseids meteor shower visible early Sunday

National Space Agency (Angkasa) says Malaysians will be able to see the meteors in areas free of light pollution during the phenomenon at about 1am on Sunday.

KUALA LUMPUR: The highlight of the Perseids meteor shower will be visible in the sky at about 1am this Sunday.

The National Space Agency (Angkasa), in a statement today, said Malaysians would be able to see between 60 and 100 meteors an hour or up to 150 meteors per hour in areas free of light pollution during the phenomenon.

“However, the waning gibbous moon will pose a challenge to see the meteors clearly on that day. This may cause lower visibility, and the number of meteors that can be seen will depend on the place as well as the weather,” it said.

A gibbous moon is one which appears more than half lighted but less than full.

The Perseids meteor shower takes place every year between July 17 and Aug 24, when the earth passes a comet’s path and the comet dust burns upon entering the earth’s atmosphere.

There is no space observation programme but the public can share the images of the phenomenon on the Angkasa Facebook account. - FMT